Yes! The paperback of We Are Mars is now available to purchase through major online retailers. But there’s a catch – it’s not available. Wait—what?

You read that right, dear reader. This is what happens when you publish your books using a PRINT ON DEMAND system like I use. It creates this curious conflict of information – I can get the book, but I can’t…? Decoding this all is pretty easy – it’s about what the retailer has IN STOCK. Because We Are Mars is, technically, not held as a stock item, it won’t show as IN STOCK, but rather, as TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK, or as not available. But you want your paperback, right? And I want you to have your paperback. This is what you do:

Order it or request it. It will take a little longer to get to you, but it will get to you – AFTER it’s been printed just for you. If you can’t find an obvious solution on your online retail store website, or they can’t help you in-store, let me know – I have an inventory of books for my own local distribution channels so I can always send you a copy – as long as you’re in the US or CANADA. SIMPLE, isn’t it?

So, WHY POD?

One word – SUSTAINABILITY.

It’s my choice to use a POD system. I believe in less waste and greater sustainability is the responsibility of every publisher and, as I have control over that process as an indie publisher, I can control how my books are distributed. I choose to save trees, rather than sit with an inventory of books that are collecting dust and could end up being destroyed if they are not sold. I think POD makes sense and should be the way all books are sold – it levels the playing field, but it puts a lot of space between books and people – a space that other retail attractants can step into, so it will never happen.